Heavy Dates

by John O'Neill and Carly Carioli

WORCESTER: From local excellence and national treasures to flat-out, time-warp absurdity, Wormtown has it all this week. You can judge for yourself what falls where. Lee Totten, the Brookfields' number-one music export now that Dick Curless resides at the Great Truckstop in the Sky, keeps a busy schedule these days. Tonight, he heads the bill at the Above Club along with Joe Rockhead, who celebrate their fifth anniversary this Friday night. The Espresso Bar keeps the top-flight punk action coming with a five-star line-up of Showcase Showdown, Ducky Boys, 30 Seconds over Tokyo, Westies, and Spoilers. Dr. Chris Van Kleek, the psychfolk troubadour, holds group therapy this Saturday, March 21, at 8:30 p.m. at the Bean Counter. Donations accepted, Mass Health not. Over at the Palladium, it's the Danzig-less Misfits, back on the trail after years of litigation and about five seconds of atttempting to convince each other that continuing on isn't a colossal joke and people will take them seriously. At last report Danzig was continuing work on refining his buff-dom so he'll look absolutely bitchin,' flexing for the camera the next time 120 Minutes calls for a fill-in VJ. Boston heavy hitters Tree and Marky Ramone's Invaders open the show. The truly soulful Michelle Wilson leads the Evil Gal Orchestra through a workout at Slattery's, and the Les Sampou Group play Cafe Fantastique. Sunday night "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin, once Muddy Waters' sideman now a guitar force in his own right, hits Gilrein's for what should be a ceiling shaker. On Wednesday, round three of the Tammany Club Battle of the Bands gets rolling. Juggernaut, Gillydog, and Heir battle it out for mid-week supremacy. You've been reading a lot about those sick, sick boys known as Quintaine Americana, now witness the carnage yourself and lend a monetary hand to WSCW, Worcester State's radio station in the process. It happens this Thursday at the Space. Say Hi to Lisa, Popgun Picnic, and Lamp also volunteer for duty.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE: There has never been a rave at the Methuen Valley Expo Center (788-8822), and after this one it's unlikely there'll ever be another -- the place is going dark at the end of the month, so who cares if the kids sweat all over the floor? With 5000 of its 90,000 square feet devoted to breakdancing, and appearances from UK mom/DJ Mrs. Wood, speed garage-ist Caspar Pound, and Texas breakbeat specialist Kelly Reverb, the event goes down on March 21. For more lowdown, check it out on the Web at www/gis.net/-magnetic. If reels are more your speed, try the Guinness Irish Music Festival, also March 21, at Bootleggers (401-274-3234), in Providence, with Black 47, Pendragon, Paddy Keenan, Skip Healy, Tony Cuffe, Eric M. Armour, and Nivek. And the wandering bards of the Rock 'n Roll Romance Revival -- the loose confederation of local cabaret/rock/spoken-word types -- are considering settling down for a residency at the Works Theatre in Somerville (617-625-6478). They're decking the place out on, yes, March 21 with nine bands (among them Rick Berlin, Ape Hangers, Garage Dogs), two talkers, and all the trimmings.

Windy and Carl -- a guitar duo whose trance-inducing, echo-laden tonal washes clock in somewhere between Mazzy Star on a handful of Valium and a long, hot bath -- were a welcome intermission at last year's Terrastock, stacked amid gear-jamming noise from Lhasa Cement Plant and some now-forgotten quirky indie-rock indiscretion. Whether their slow, oozing, cumulus haze can keep you awake on a normal night is up for discussion at the Century Lounge (401-751-2255), in Providence, on March 24 with Saturnine and Mike and Margie from the Difference Engine, as well as at the Middle East (617-864-3278) on March 25 with Germany's To Rococo Rot, Minnesota's Lifter Puller, and Junk Lemonade.

-- Carly Carioli